Château Dassault

The history of Château Dassault

Château Dassault dates back to 1862, when it was created under the name Château Couperie by Victor Beylot. In 1955, it was bought by Marcel Dassault, who gave it his name. The famous aircraft manufacturer chose an estate in Saint Emilion because of its proximity to the sites of the various Dassault Group subsidiaries in the region, at Mérignac and Martignas sur Jalle.
Today, Laurent Dassault, grandson of the visionary engineer, manages the estate.

The Château Dassault estate

The Château Dassault estate is located on the northern glacis of Saint Émilion. The soil is limestone and sandy. The vineyard covers 24 hectares of red wine. Two-thirds of the vineyard is planted with Merlot, with the remainder divided between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Annual production is 120,000 bottles.

Château Dassault's vineyards are managed in a sustainable manner, combining traditional techniques with high-tech tools, including an optical sorting table. Indeed, since 2009, the estate has been using an optical sorting table, designed to select the berries with the utmost precision. As a result, work is much faster. The aim is not to save time at this stage, but to take all the risks to define the date of harvest, so as to wait serenely for optimal ripeness.

In 1969, Château Dassault obtained the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé classification.

The wines of Château Dassault

Château Dassault - Grand Cru Classé Rouge Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Château Dassault Millésime 2000 is ruby-colored. It multiplies shades of deep purple when exposed to sunlight. It offers an explosion of scents and aromas. The nose combines candied fruit, violets, sloe, licorice, musk, cocoa and cachou. The palate offers lovely aromas of blueberries, raspberries, cherries and licorice.

This is a round wine on the palate, backed by plenty of woody tannins. If you prefer more refined tannins, you'll need to wait a few years, at least three. It can be cellared for up to eight years before drinking. Château Dassault is best enjoyed alongside roast beef and pan-fried mushrooms.

Le D de Dassault Millésime

Le D de Dassault sports a deep garnet-red color, with a purplish border. The nose is warm. It charms you with notes of spicy, licorice-like red fruits, fresh mint and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's suave and fleshy, just as fruity. Its velvety tannins are pleasant on the palate and herald a long, very fresh and incredibly caressing finish.

D de Dassault goes well with grilled meats and gratins dauphinois. It is also recommended for cheese platters, with a preference for Comté.